253 CUENCA
A QUINTESSENTIAL TROPICAL ABODE
TYPOLOGY     RESIDENTIAL
LOCATION       MUNTINLUPA CITY, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES
YEAR                   2018

Form and program were dictated by its regional context.

Organized within a three-storey volume, the residence is configured to harness deep penetration of natural light while diffusing heat gain, to maximize wind flow and let natural ventilation cool the spaces within, to blur boundaries of interior and exterior spaces thru seamless transitions, and to provide openness while maintaining much needed privacy and security through hardscape and softscape features.

The central Pool acts as the main anchor of the house, wherein the interlocking volumes revolve from. The pool also provides the ventilation shaft that cools the whole residence – acting as an outdoor atrium that encompasses the height of the volumes. Major areas such as the Living and Dining areas, Master Bedroom, Family Area, and Gym all look out into this water feature. Instead of the house being oriented outside, the spaces are looking within, enjoying the interior environments.

From outside, the house is an interplay of simple geometric forms, juxtaposing an architectural menagerie of material and expression. The main element is the wood-clad linear volume that contains the bedrooms and the upper balcony – provocatively jutting out to the street. These wood louvers that envelope the main mass can be manually closed and opened – allowing visual continuity and heightening natural ventilation into the interior spaces, without compromising security and privacy.

Despite of the house’s closed-off masculinity, it maintains with great precision the strategies that ensure that it fits its local setting. An urban refuge for the tropics.